We're off in five and a half hours, but Cambodia being Cambodia, we need to leave in three.
Yesterday was the intended low-key affair. After our last report, we wandered up the road to the somewhat pointless royal gardens and further on to find a place reputed to have fine miniatures of the Angkor temples. We found the right street but despite signs pointing directly to it we couldn't find the place and instead ended up at this awesome-looking hotel seemingly in the middle of nowhere, where we asked for directions and, fortuitously, I found the country's best toilet facilities.
With the aid of the hotel staff's directions we found the place, and it was $3 poorly spent - I must admit the replica of Angkor Wat was pretty spectacular, but the place itself was just some dude's back yard, and it really was a ramshackle organisation. This done and no other plans to speak of we braved the belting heat and stumbled around the Pub Street area looking for somewhere besides Pub Street to eat. We settled on a Lonely Planet recommendation, the Blue Pumpkin, which had great sandwiches and even better pastries - I had a pineapple flan and it blew me up.
Full and buggered from not much at all we decided we'd earned a beer and sat down at the first place offering 50c draught beers. We moved onto several others, of course returning to Pub Street for the kick-off of major happy hours (although many pubs have permanent happy hours anyway). We arrived at Angkor What...? and ran into a Kiwi couple we'd seen around the temple tracks over the past day or so. We joined them for a drink and got stuck into the place's signature drink - a literal bucket, like a plant pot, of booze. We had gin and tonics, each consisting of a bucket of ice, a full tumbler glass of gin and one can of tonic. It was madness. Frankly I was bombed after this one drink and paid no attention to the Apsara dancing going on at the pub across the road when we were eating our somewhat forgettable dinner.
With energy waning the four of us came back to the hotel (turns out by coincidence the Kiwi couple were staying at the same place) and foolishly I got another beer while the Kiwis chatted to some Welsh or Scottish dudes who'd just flown in. Bec had the right idea and promptly fell asleep next to me. With that idea gaining weight I took us to bed and pretty much passed out.
This morning has just consisted of the boring-arsed packing thing so there's nothing to report, although I must say I am relishing being on the path back home, despite it being certain to be a nightmare. I will however take the opportunity to make a few random reflections on Cambodia.
* The two major beers here are named 'Anchor' and 'Angkor'. This would have problems for any narrow-minded beer drinking culture, but the Khmers have a simple remedy - 'Anchor' is pronounced as it actually looks - 'An-Chaw'. Simple but effective, like most of the local innovations.
* Local innovations: both the Vietnamese and the Khmers are brilliantly adaptable people. The way they resolve problems and get things done with sheer inventiveness is unceasingly inspiring. Everywhere you go you see these innovations in practice; bicylces doubling as food stalls, single engines driving a tiny but powerful tractor capable of pulling heavy loads at reasonable speeds, boat motors that collect coolant water off its own rotor, amputees using reversed bikes to pedal with their hands; endless adaptability.
* The good nature of the Khmers in the face of seemingly impossible adversity. They simply don't get angry, and they don't hold grudges. They have even made an 'agreement' with the remnants of the Khmer Rouge. This itself is unfathomable to me, but it what makes the community work. They are also incredibly undemanding; despite the occasional harassment from touts and food and souvenir sellers, the great majority of people just smile and say hello. Kids in particular love it when you so much as wave or smile at them; say hello back and they'll pretty much explode. It's awesome. The kids are also amazingly happy; Bec's driver on one of our Battambang tours said that Cambodian kids always smile because they're happy with what they have. It should be an inspiration to us.
* A random recollection so far unreported: when we were heading back from our first day of temple bashing, our driver pulled up just short of our hotel as a group of kids seemingly rode straight into the path of traffic. But rather than this being what I assumed to be a petty rebellion, two phallanxes of boys on bikes made a barricade across the road to allow younger students to leave safely at the end of the school day. Only a few impatient drivers went through or around the barricade; the great majority waited until the bike riding crossing guards had fulfilled their duties. It was a great sight and I regret not getting a photo.
* Bike culture starts early here. Before they can even reach the pedals, kids are riding adult bicycles, standing on the pedals and riding as well if not better than you or I could now. There'd be kids no older than 4 riding like this; you can't really envisage it until you see it.
I'm sure there are other little snippets like this I could add; as I remember them I'll try to record them here. We'll do another post when we've got our photos safely downloaded and online.
As a final note before we depart, I'd just like to heartily recommend this country to travellers from all spectrums. You could have any kind of holiday you wanted here - budget or big spender travellers can all have a great time. The temples shouldn't have to be the be all and end all of a trip to Cambodia; the people are what make it a great country. We'll almost certainly be back one day and I think now we'll struggle to enthuse ourselves to see any more of Vietnam when this place has most of what Vietnam has to offer, and so much more just in its people.
It's been fun reporting to you all, and of course for our own record of this journey. We hope it inspires many more people to come to Cambodia. Those who have been before us will also sing its praises.
All that said, there's no place like home and we'll see you all there again soon.
George and Bec.
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